Month: February 2019

ause the camera must not be covered during the folding, while the battery is also thicker. Huawei Mate X looks better, but its display is not protected as well as that of Samsung Fold and faces higher risk of breaking should the phone be dropped.

The two share one thing in common, namely a high price — Both are rather expensive. The Samsu

ng Fold is priced at $1,980 while the Huawei Mate X is priced at 2,299 euros ($2,606). The high price will

quite seriously limit the marketing of the two products and make them the luxuries of rich people only.

According to our analysis and market forecasts, in 2019, the number of f

oldable smartphones and tablets sold globally might reach 900,000, which might do

uble in 2020. As a comparison, people globally bought 1.4 billion smartphones in 2018. In a word, unless its cost fall sh

arply, the market for foldable smartphones will be limited for the foreseeable future.

Yet both Huawei and Samsung have invested huge resources in the research, publicity, and mark

eting of foldable smartphones. There are two main causes for that. First, smartphones are already so

developed that there is hardly any new space for innovation. The iPhone 4 miracle of Steven Jobs can hardly be re

peated in the near future, so both companies need to show the world that they are innovating.

Second, foldable displays need special materials that are quite scarce i

n the market, so neither of the two companies can afford to wait for the other to rise. B

oth need to keep the market in a balance so as to ensure its own share of products.